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This female 100m title race will take center stage on the opening day of events at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as a key element in planners' plans to “launch spectacularly”.

The unanticipated choice, resulting in every stage of the 100m taking place on the single day, received support by US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, who remarked that it demonstrated “athletics is stepping into the spotlight”.

The UK’s Dina Asher-Smith also backed the change for the Olympics, set from July 15th to 30th. “This is a thrilling chance – honoring the lasting impact, resilience, and worldwide influence of women’s sprinting, a full century after women first entered Olympic athletics,” she continued.

While sprinters typically compete up to two times daily, the sport’s governing body confirmed it had consulted widely with participants to guarantee they agreed with the plan.

“To be the pre-eminent event on the first night of competition in the historic LA Memorial Coliseum – when we presented it to the athletes that way, there was excitement,” said Janet Evans, the chief athlete officer for the Games. “A majority of athletes said to me: ‘Just let me know. Let me know early, and I’ll start training to run three 100s in one day.’”

World Athletics explained it had intentionally designed the timetable to allow as many competitors as possible to “compete in multiple events”, not just in events including the sprints but also the 800m and 1500m and the longer track events. It said that there would be 10 days’ worth of events at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with a co-ed sprint relay being introduced, as well as three days of road events at the conclusion of the Games.

“We’ve developed a track and field schedule that kicks off spectacularly with female sprinters in the spotlight on the first day,” stated Seb Coe, World Athletics president. “This programme blends creativity with respect for customs, featuring the men’s marathon on the closing day.”

Nonetheless, the line-up renders it improbable that US sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be able to run in both the 400m and the 400 hurdles, given the hurdles semifinals and the 400-meter championship fall on the identical date.

Swimming has traditionally started the Summer Games. Yet because it is taking place in the SoFi venue, which hosts the inaugural event, it will now start in the following week.

Organisers additionally announced that day one will showcase the most women’s finals ever in a 24-hour period in Games’ history, with the female triathlon title one of the prizes available. They have also scheduled a action-packed Saturday on the second-to-last day, with 26 first-place awards across 23 sports at stake.

An LA28 official, the head of sport and games delivery for LA28, noted the plan is to offer approximately 14,000,000 tickets across 51 disciplines at 49 sites, with public sales due to begin in spring 2026. It was also confirmed that organisers are avoiding the controversial variable pricing strategy that provoked outrage among Oasis fans recently and experimented with by Fifa at football’s Club World Cup in the United States.